The invention lies in the field of electronic component and electronic component manufacture.
For the purpose of automatically testing electronic components, not only the tester unit but also supply devices (xe2x80x9chandlersxe2x80x9d) are required which allow the components to be supplied automatically to the test supports. The test supports are on contactor apparatus (xe2x80x9cHiFixesxe2x80x9d) which are used to produce an electrical connection to the tester unit. The electronic components are transported by means of the supply device in component carriers or chip carriers (xe2x80x9ctest traysxe2x80x9d) which hold the electronic components in a similar manner to a tray. The component carriers ensure that the components are aligned above the contactor apparatus, so that it is possible for clean, correct and perfect contact to be made with the components on the contactor apparatus.
Since, particularly with larger and larger scale integration densities, testing a component is taking longer and longer, this accounts for an increasing proportion of the total manufacturing costs. It is therefore necessary to take measures to reduce the test time and hence to reduce the test costs substantially.
The test costs can firstly be reduced by reducing the test time for the electronic components. However, this would reduce the likelihood of finding a fault, which means that a larger number of faulty electronic components would be delivered to the customer.
Secondly, it is possible to reduce the test time by increasing the number of electronic components tested simultaneously in a tester apparatus. Normally, the parallelism for testing on conventional tester apparatus is fundamentally limited by the number of available tester channels and by the maximum number of test supports available, which is determined by the geometric arrangement of the electronic components.
Increasing the number of tester channels requires a great deal of complexity, and it can normally be altered only by the manufacturer of the tester apparatus. However, the geometry-related number of test supports frequently restricts the number of tester channels used to below that resulting from the parallelism associated with the tester apparatus. Thus, the number of tester channels can normally be increased by modifying the supply device. This is a comparatively simple matter, since only slight modifications are required.
Such a measure is implemented, by way of example, by virtue of the number of contactor apparatus arranged next to one another having been increased either in the x direction or in the y direction. This is possible only within the scope of the geometric dimensions on the component carrier or on the HiFix, however. A further increase in the geometric dimensions would result in high development and manufacturing costs. In addition, if the size of the tester apparatus is unaltered, any impairment of the test performance would be worsened by longer supply lines to the contactor apparatus.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a tester apparatus for testing electronic components, which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which provides for a tester apparatus that affords a simple way of reducing the test time for electronic components.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a tester apparatus for electronic components, comprising:
a tester unit;
at least one first contactor apparatus connected to the tester unit and configured for making contact with an electronic component;
a first component carrier for holding a component in a first plane, the first component carrier being positionable by way of a supply device for making contact between the components on the first component carrier and the first contactor apparatus;
a second component carrier for holding a component in a second plane, the second component carrier being positionable by way of the supply device;
at least one second contactor apparatus connected to the tester unit and configured for making contact with the electronic component in the second plane for connecting the electronic component to the tester unit;
wherein the first and second component carriers are disposed with respect to one another such that, when contact is made between the first contactor apparatus and the component on the first component carrier, substantially simultaneous contact is made between the second contactor apparatus and the component on the second component carrier.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the first contactor apparatus is one of a plurality of first contactor apparatus disposed adjacent one another for contacting electronic components carried on the first plane.
In other words, the invention provides a tester apparatus for electronic components, having a tester unit and having first contactor apparatus arranged next to one another. The contactor apparatus are provided for the purpose of making contact with the electronic components for connection to the tester unit. A first component carrier is provided, on which the components can be positioned in a first plane. The first component carrier can be positioned by means of a supply device in order to make contact with the components on the first component carrier using the first contactor apparatus. The invention provides a second component carrier, on which the components can be positioned in a second plane. The second component carrier can likewise be positioned by means of the supply device. In addition, second contactor apparatus are provided in a second plane in order to make contact with electronic components for connection to the tester unit. The arrangement of the first and second component carriers with respect to one another is such that, when contact is made with the components on the first component carrier using the first contactor apparatus, contact is made with the components on the second component carrier essentially simultaneously using the second contactor apparatus.
By arranging the electronic components to be tested on two component carriers which, when supplied by means of the supply device, are respectively fitted onto the corresponding contactor apparatus essentially simultaneously, it is possible to keep the arrangement of the first and second component carriers in the tester apparatus flexible. In particular, it is possible to arrange the component carriers so as to be offset from one another, i.e. to offset them from one another in terms of the plane wherein the components are arranged. In this way, the components to be tested can be tested simultaneously in a tester apparatus without the size or the external shape of the electronic components restricting the number of components which can be tested simultaneously.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the first and second planes defined by the first and second component carriers are arranged above one another. That is, provision is made for the first and second planes for the first and second component carriers to be arranged above one another. Since, in conventional tester apparatus, the size of the HiFixes with the contactor apparatus is normally limited in the x-direction and in the y-direction, provision can now be made for the components which are to be tested to be arranged above one another, with contact being made therewith simultaneously when they are fitted onto the respective contactor apparatus. To this end, in particular, first and second contactor apparatus are provided which are preferably likewise arranged above one another.
Provision can also be made for the first and second contactor apparatus to have a respective contact plate on which there are contacts in order to make contact with the components on the first and second component carriers. The contact plate for the first contactor apparatus and the contact plate for the second contactor apparatus are arranged essentially above one another. In this way, the contact plates for the contactor apparatus can be arranged in a space-saving manner with respect to one another, so that the latter can also be incorporated in conventional tester apparatus.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, essentially all of the first contactor apparatus and all of the second contactor apparatus are connected to the tester unit for testing each of the respective components connected thereto.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a tester apparatus for electronic components, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.